10 Best Classic Rock Albums Of The 1960s
7. The Rolling Stones - Let It Bleed
The Rolling Stones’ most sinister album is a death knell for the 1960s. In the middle of their purple patch, they released a record perfectly encapsulating the tensions of the changing times, as well as issues within the band itself.
From opener “Gimme Shelter”, the paranoia is rife. The lyrics are oblique but the turbulence couldn’t be clearer, reaching a terrifying crescendo as guest vocalist Merry Clayton bellows “rape, murder” as though it was her final breath (the excellent documentary 20 Feet From Stardom allows Clayton to tell the tale).
The band are performing at the height of their powers here, combining to produce one of their boldest statements. The tension continues with songs like “Monkey Man” and “Midnight Rambler”, but makes way for melancholic moments like Keith Richards-led “You Got The Silver”.
The record climaxes with “You Can’t Always Get What You Want”, a bittersweet number that encapsulates the album as a whole. The decade was full of promise, but didn’t entirely deliver. It’s the Stones at their most mature and contemplative, alongside the bombast of the London Bach Choir.